Loose-leaf binder



March lll, 1941. s VAN BUREN 2,234,294

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER Filed July .29, 1940 fyi.

Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A 9 Claims.

This invention relates to loose-leaf binders or holders and is animprovement upon the device shown in the patent to Clyde V. Van Buren,No. 1,869,032, dated July 26, 1932.

The primary reason for these improvements, and conversely, the maindisadvantage of the previous invention, was that in engaging orreleasing the paper the spring was slid against the top sheet. Thiseither marked, wrinkled, or tore the top sheet, rendering the deviceundesirable to many. Therefore, my problem was to find a constructionthat forced the spring pressure vertically onto the paper and eliminatethe lateral or longitudinal sliding necessary to engage the contentssuch as required by the other device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the abovecharacter which is simple and inexpensive and which will hold singleleaves or piles thereof of various thicknesses and in which the partsare permanently retained in assembled relation instead of beingdetachable.

A further object of the invention is to provide a loose leaf binder orholder which facilitates the insertion of the sheets, especially wherethe thicknesses of the sheets or leaves is such as to employ the fullcapacity of the binder or substantially so and to facilitate manufactureand assemblage of the parts of the device as well as to'strengthen thesame and facilitate the insertion and clamping of the sheets.

Another object of the invention is to reinforce the upper flangeportions of the channel forming the receptacle for the marginal portionsof the sheets to be held; to mount the bowed spring clamping element sothat it will not become displaced and so as to allow free swingingmovement thereof in a small arc when near the capacity holding point andto provide a slide which will `release the clamping element or move andpositively hold the clamping element in clamping position and permitautomatic adjustment of the clamping element to the thicknesses of thesheets held thereby.

Further objects and advantages will appear and be brought out more fullyin the following specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a loose leaf binder equipped with aholding device in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged section similar to Fig. 2;

(Cl. 12S-35) Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing the locking slideand with the binder in section.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4; and v5 Figs. 6 and 7 are transverse sectional. views taken on the lines 6 6and 1-1 of Fig, 4.

The invention comprehends broadly the utilization of a holder forreceiving the marginal portions of the sheets and having a spring tonguewhich is swingably mounted at one end and re-l leasably held at itsopposite end, the intermediate portion of the tongue or clamping elementbeing bowed so as to accommodate itself conformably to differentthicknesses of the sheets or leaves clamped thereby and the holder maybe used by itself or in connection with a cover or binder. As shown, thedevice may be provided or employed as a loose leaf holder to releasablyhold sheets by itself or in connection with an ordinary type of looseleaf binder, cover or folder shown as comprising the backing boards IUand lI,-I0 being the bottom board or folder and Il beingy the top boardor cover, which are hingedlyvattached or scored at l2 and I3 along theopposite v25 edges of a binding I4.

The holding device comprises an angle member or channel l5 of suitablestrength or rigidity, such as cold rolled steel or other sheet materialVof metal, plastic, of Bakelite, fiber or the like and 30 having a lowerflange I6 and an upper flange I1 connected by a back portion I8. Thebottom portion or flange I6 is suitably attached to the binder or folderand is shown provided with two openings preferably offset downwardly inthef35 form of a countersink to receive rivets I9 therethrough andthrough the bottom board I9 so that the rivets will lie flush with thetop surface of the lower flange I 6 so as not to mutilate the' sheets,especially the bottom sheet and to firmly o attach the holder to thebinder, although as previously stated, it may be used without the binderor folder. The upper or top flange l1 is provided with an elongatedlongitudinal slot 2U located' equi-distantly between the ends thereof topro- '45 vide imperforate end flanges and guide rails or strips 2l and22 along opposite sides of the slot over the lower or horizontal leg andprojecting out from the vertical leg or back of the holder. A springclamping tongue or element 23 of such 50 a width as to readily passthrough the slot 20 with clearance on both sides, has an angular end 24disposed beneath the top flange adjacent the end of the slot and thisangular portion is provided with an aperture 25 at the angle or bend '55(soY l 'Jek which is of obtuse-angled shape, as shown.` A

rivet 26 is passed through the aperture in the tongue and also through acorresponding aper- V ture in the top flange adjacent the end of theslot 2|) to pivotally or swingably mount the spring clamping tongue sothat it may have free swinging movement -through a small arc riding onthe top of the angular portion 2E! so that the free end of the springwill project up through the slot and the portion adjacent the anchoredend will move in close proximity to the top flange so as to facilitatetheinsertion of the sheets tobe held up to the capacity of the channeldetermined by the Width of the space between the topzand bottomV Therivet 26 which is passed through' flanges. the apertures in the tongueand top flange l1, is

upset as indicated at 2'| to retain thetongue in position and stillmount the same loosely instead Yopposite side extensions 3| and 32"which overlie 'the top faces'of the strips 2| and 22.to'bear thereonandv slidably mount rthe plate'. The inv nerend 3.3 of the plate formingthe slide is bent downwardlyas at 34 the thickness ofthe stripsv2|a`nd22 soethat the portion 3A3is' disposedjbetweenor'below saidstripsand one end has `an'y extension wing- 35 which extends beneath thestrip 2|l toprevent upward displacement ofthe slide. The oppositeend ofthe plate 3l) has an extension' 3S with cut-outs or recesses 31Lextending'inwa-rdly inoppositey directions and in transverse alignmentat its juncture with the plate SD'and the-opposite edges of theextension or end portion'35 arebent down in angular relationasv at 38along the inner edges of therstrips 2| and 22 and then outwardlybeneath'fs'aidstri'ps, at" .39'

andv to engage the bottom'facesof the strips similartotheWing'portion31.5 so as to slidably mount the plateon thevstrips 2| and 22and'retainthe slide-v in'l position between" the same 'and' the opposite'extensions 3| and' 32-. 1n this 'manner, the slide is retainedyinposition because the extension wings engage on opposite sides of thestrips'2'l and 22`so that the slide'rnay be freely 'imo'vedalongthe'guideways to moveover the angula'r' endY 281 which will ridebetween the-wings 39"and` 40 in the channel orv grc'ove provided:

therebetween and thus move the clamping member or spring normally inVclamping engagement with thefshe'etsS which `are fitted attheirmarginal' portions in theV channel between the flanges' thereof,irrespectivevv of the number off sheets'and the lthickness ofthe sheetsthus held. Thus, one endof the spring tongue is loosely pivfoted'beneath'the fflange l1 and the other end is inserteclunder the opposite portionof the "flangev I1'infreleasableengagernent beneath the slide bymovement-in the slot 2i) 'which while permitting'; limited lateralmovement or' play of the Springltongue between the` strips 2| and 22,will prevent they springtongue from''beconiingloos'a displaced orlost asin the prior construction. -By sliding-the plate 30 alonggthe slot onthe guidewaysor rails'formedby the' strips 2|v and 22,." it

will*V frictionally' engage" the' free 'end' of .thef

spring tongue and normally press it down causing the spring to flex andadjust itself conformably to the thickness of the sheets held by thebinder. The greater the thickness the more the spring will flex or movetow-ard a rectilinear position as seen in full lines in Fig. 2 of thedrawing. In this position, the slide 29 will be at the extreme upper orright hand end of theV slot 20 so as to confine the angular free end ofthe spring tongue therebeneath held against lateral displacement ormovement asdescribed. However, when the slide is moved toward'theopposite end as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, pressure thereofagainst the spring tongue will be released permitting the free end ofthe spring to normally' move upwardly to the dotted line positionslicw'nin Fig. 2 to releasethe pressure on .theV sheets so that the same may bewithdrawn or additional sheets inserted. From this positieni-n which thespring tongue springs upwardly' under its own tension or in conjunction,with v the' pressure of the sheets heldl thereby,j the.

spring tongue isloos'ely mounted to swing? freely upwardly in alimitedarc as. seen'in Fig.y 3 so: that the upward projection'ofthe freeend of thel spring tongue will be greater and the anchored end of thespring` tongue will move in closer proximityV to the upper iia'nge andthe slide,` thus facilitating the insertion of sheets rof consid.

crab-le thickness approximating thatof the spacey between the' topandbottom flanges of the holding device. v

In" order tov facilitate movement of they slide,

thev latter is provided with two sets of slotted van'es l||l an'dllZprojecting in opposite directions and spacedV apart'to form' roughenedor knurled finger engaging portions by which the slide'may be pushed,especially in frictienallyA engaging or disengaging the angular free endof the spring tongue in clamping or releasing the sheets. This is'particularlyt'r'ue due tothe f act that the spring tongue is bowedwit'ha considerable degree of curvature as shown in' dotted lines in'Fi'g 2rof the drawing so that when its free end portion is engaged beneath theslide by moving the latter to the end of the slot 2 0 over the free endof the spring tongue, the middle portion ,ofv the tongue engages thebottom flange I6 ofthe angle or channel member I5 and is attenedsomewhat', 'thereby Acreating considerable 'tension in the fastenedtongue. In lthis way, the'tongue'is adapted to clamp' and' securely holddifferent thicknesses ranging fromasingle' sheet `to a7 pile of sheetsAof a thickness that will tbe'tweenthe upperV and'lower anges of the'channel or anglev member of the holdingfdevice. By mounting the A springtongue as described, instead of in the manner shown in the patentreferred to,lthe'j spring; tongue is permanently attached'instead ofbeing removably mounted and will be prevented from becoming displacedor` separated from the remaining structure of the holding deviceandpossibly lost.'V This is due to thefact that` the parts are alwayssecurely held in assembled relation even though the slide is freelymovable to press the spring vtongue in engaging position to clamp thesheetsor to'release the same forv removing or inserting any or: all ofthe -sheets or additional iones as will be found necessary ordee sirablein practice. e

In the structure shown in' the Vdrawing;'the anglev member orchannel I5of' the-holding device which is riveted throughthe lower flange ltfto`thebo'ttom board l0 Vof the folder or binderiuis exposed throughout, butobviously, With the-ex'- ception of the upper flanges or flange portionsand the spring tongue which cooperates therewith, the device may beimbedded within the component makeup of the boards I0 and II and thebacking or binding I4.

Thus, it will be seen that instead of loosely or slidably mounting thespring clamping tongue or element in the receptacle formed by the anglemember or channel as in the prior patentl heretofore referred to, sothat in engaging or releasing the paper the spring was slid against thetop sheet so as to mark, Wrinkle or tear the same and render the deviceobjectionable and undesirable to many, the spring clamping tongue orelement is free to move up and down, the spring pressure or force actingin a vertical direction against the paper and eliminating the lateral orlongitudinal sliding required and necessary to engage the paper orcontents of the holder due to the loose slidable mounting of the springtongue in the old construction. This also facilitates the insertion andremoval of the contents or sheets and insures that the same will bemaintained in a smooth condition and not mutilated, wrinkled or torn.

It is further obvious that many other modications in the structure ofthe holding device and its particular application in use may be madewithout in the least departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. The invention, therefore,is not limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown in theaccompanying drawing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A loose-leaf holder comprising an opensided receptacle for themarginal portions of the leaves to be held, one side of said receptaclehaving a longitudinal slot and a normally bowed spring clamping elementpermanently and swingably supported at one end beneath said side formovement through the slot and detachably engageable at its opposite endbeneath a top member of the receptacle displaceable in the slot incooperative clamping relation to different thicknesses of leaves in saidreceptacle.

2. A loose-leaf holder comprising an opensided receptacle for themarginal portions of the sheets to be held, one side of said receptaclecomprising spaced flanges, a normally bowed spring clamping elementpermanently and swingably supported at one end on one of said flangesand a slide movably carried by said side of the receptacle anddetachably engageable with the opposite free end of the spring clampingelement in a plane substantially under the other flange by movement ofthe slide over said free end to hold the spring clamping element incooperative clamping relation to different thicknesses of sheets in saidreceptacle or inwardly of said free end to release the spring clampingelement from clamping relation with the sheets.

3. A loose-leaf holder comprising an opensided receptacle for thereception of the marginal portions of the sheets to be held, one side ofsaid receptacle having a longitudinal slot, a normally bowed springclamping element loosely riveted beneath said side beyond one end of theslot and adapted to swing freely through a limited arc, and a slideguided along said side at the slot to engage over the free end of theclamping element and hold the same in clamping relation to the sheets insaid receptacle.

4. A loose-leaf holder comprising an opensided receptacle for themarginal portions of the sheets to be held, one side of said receptaclehaving a longitudinal slot with opposed strips, a normally bowed springclamping element permanently and swingably attached to said side' beyondone end of the slot and bowed downwardly toward the other side of thereceptacle, and a slide movable inthe slot along the strips to engageover the free end of the spring clamping element and press the same inflexing relation conformable to the sheets held in the receptacle.

5. A loose-leaf holder comprising an opensided receptacle in the form ofa channel and adapted to be secured in a folder, said receptacle adaptedto receive the marginal portions of the sheets to be held and having atop portion with a confined longitudinal slot and guide rails, anormally ,bowed spring clamping element having an angular end rivetedthrough one side of the receptacle beyond the one end of the slot andhaving an angular portion adapted to swing freely through a small arcIbeneath the said side of the receptacle and an angular free end withthe intermediate bowed portion movable through the slot and extendingdown in clamping relation toward the other side of the receptacle andthe sheets in said receptacle, and a movable member mounted on the guiderails at the slot to move over the free end of the clamping element inthe area of the slot to hold the element in clamping position or touncover said free end and release the element for upward movementthrough the slot out of clamping relation with the sheets.

6. A loose-leaf holder comprising an opensided receptacle in the form ofa channel and adapted to be secured in a folder, said receptacle adaptedto receive the marginal portions of the sheets to be held and having atop portion with a confined longitudinal slot and guide rails, anormally bowed spring clamping element having an angular end rivetedthrough one side of the receptacle beyond the one end of the slot andhaving an angular portion adapted to swing freely through a small arcbeneath the said side of the receptacle and an angular free end with theintermediate bowed portion movable through the slot and extending downin clamping relation toward the other side `of the receptacle and thesheets in said receptacle, and a movable member mounted on the guiderails at the slot to move over the free end of the clamping element inthe area of the slot to hold the element in clamping position or touncover said free end and release the element for upward movementthrough the slot out of clamping relation with the,sheets, said movablemember having opposite extensions overlying the guide rails on oppositesides thereof to retain the movable member in position and having meansto corinne the free end of the clamping element therebetween and aroughened manipulating portion.

'7. In a loose-leaf binder, an open-sided receptacle having a top angeprovided with an elongated opening, a bow spring clamping elementpermanently and swinga'bly anchored near one end to the top flangebeyond the opening, bowed dcwnwardiy interznediately and having its freeend terminating adjacent the opposite end of the opening to swing up anddown through the latter, and a member movably mounted on the top flangeat opposite sides of the opening to engage over the free end of theelement to hold the latter` in vclamping relation to sheets heldin thereceptacle or yuncover-*said end to release the element and sheets..

8*.KA loo-seeleaf gbinder comprising a channel' to marginal portions ofsheets disposed ini the channel. o

9. A looseleaf holder comprising an opensded receptacle for thereception of the marginal portions of the'sheets to be held, one side ofsaid receptacle having a longitudinal slot,l a normally bowedspringclamping element' loosely mounted beneath said side beyond one endofthe yslot and adapted to move freely through said slot 'in a-limtedare, and a slide guided alo-ng said side at the, slot to Aengage overthe free' end` of the clamping element and hold the same in clampingrelation to the sheetsv in said receptacle.

' SHELDON VAN BUREN.

